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I was thinking about this question recently. My last 3 times out, there has been essentially no wind, so I have been flying my new 4D. I met 2 other guys flying their Ozones/Vapors last time out. Axels, fades, 540s, slots, backspins, some flick flacks if you have the touch.

These kites are not much for precision or the latest tricks, but they sure do fly! They readily sail through the air with amazing drive with little effort and are very easy to stall and just "hover" them while doing rotational tricks like the pinwheel, reversing 540s, helicopters, that sort of thing. You flatten out the kite and it will just sit there waiting for you.

A different flying experience than the newer pitchy kites. I much prefer the newer kites, but its nice to fly and old(er) school kite and appreciate that flying style as well.

Back to Mr. Preston's designs, you might say that evolution has created kites that "Not Fly" like the Stranger & Psycho and fly real well like the Matrix. Those kites are a real good example of the trade offs you used to have to make. Of course the Matrix was trickier than some other full size Ballet kites of the era.

I used to fly dual line kites in the 1980's and quit after several years. Three years ago I watched a YouTube video of Andy Wardley "tricking" a Gem. I had to do that myself. Within a few weeks I had a trick kite and was well on my way to trick kite nirvana. I am way more into it than I ever was before.

I find tricking endlessly challenging and interesting compared to flying alone. Plus it's more fun than just standing around flying. Enjoyment and the challenge of mastering / perfecting tricks keeps be going out. I do enjoy tricking with some nice looking precision flying incorporated in between tricks too. Although tricks are my main focus, it doesn't have to be "either or" for me. Oh yeah, all my kites fly too.

Kites have been around more than 2000 years. Kiting isn't boring - it's the fliers who get bored and they get bored because they don't apply their imagination.When a flier begins flying kites, he or she is highly motivated - all full of enthusiasm. First S(he) sees something that seems cool and interesting and- more importantly - something that will draw attention and admiration from jealous uninitiated non- fliers. This is a fatal illusion because most people don't recognize the potential of the kite - that makes you special because you have set yourself apart from the herd. Don't expect the ordinary individual (who has no imagination and who is only motivated by money or sex) to rush over to you, quivering with the desire to fly a kite. So you must realize that the most important person to impress is - YOU.Now- If you choose TRICKS, learn all you can and spur yourself to be your best but don't expect to be mobbed by an adoring public because all they see is somebody who is flopping a kite around - never thinking for one moment that the movement of the kite is a controlled activity.. Don't give it a thought, just do your best and perfect your skills to a point that will leave you proud of yourself when you walk off the field.

When you start to feel a little bored with the tricks, think about other ways a kite can be flown. Try to fly two dual line kites, one in each hand, master that and throw a 3rd one into the mix. You probably won't ever get to the level achieved by Ray but you'll likely be the best multiple flier in your state. Don't like that? Then try flying off a dog stake and then try two, one in each hand. All of this is for your satisfaction. If someone comes over and slobbers all over you, it's pure envy. Take it in stride but don't think that what you are doing will motivate the "fan" to take up kiting. Encourage him but don't beg. Keep on trying to do something that will challenge you. Fly a dual line blindfolded - to music and then fly two blindfolded and then to music. When you get done with everything that you can think of, do it all again with quadline kites.

All of this is for your self satisfaction not to impress some numb-nut who shouts something like "Go fly A Kite " and walks away, chuckling and congratulating himself as the last comic standing. While you are doing all of this exploring, you will be improving your eye - hand coordination and you will be enriching your imagination skills so that you will be more valuable to your employer because you will be able to come up with a plan of action when trouble pops up around the office. AND Most importantly, don't let LOSERS take away something that gives you pleasure. And Remember- If everyone flew kites, there would be no room for you. Be grateful for the space.

For me , the first kite I owned that didn't really "fly" was the Elixir. 1998?

Interesting you say that. I finally added an Elixir to my bag in the early 2000s, and still have yet to "connect" with it.

At the time, it was spoken of so highly, I never spoke up to say "I don't get it".

The Elixir is a pretty odd ball kite and not something everyone is going to like. I spent a lot of time on it and grew to love it. There is something about the aesthetics of it tricking that kept my attention for many years. I like the way it doesn't "fly". If you can get some decent wind and get enough time on it to where it's not just a turd that falls out of the sky, it's one of the best kites ever in my opinion.

If I were you, I'd probably put your time into a more modern kite. No reason to fight with an elixir unless you absolutely love it.

When I started flying I was told that the Elixir was a kite for very advanced flyers and even then it wasn’t the easiest kite to fly. Several flyers also said that it was a great kite. I watched the Prism video countless times and figured out why it would be difficult for people who were use to flying the new style of trick kite. The Elixir requires very fluid like motions, not the yank and spank so to speak. When I first tried it with the usual pop or snap inputs it responded in a very poor fashion. But quickly I remembered the video and was soon rewarded with an almost new type of flying. I had the great privilege of flying with Mr. Mark Reed a few years back, during which he demonstrated to me why he put the heavy zig zag thread on the prism wrist strap leads. He said place your index fingers on this thread and feel the tension on the line. Then fly by it. I soon realized that I could control the kite more precisely through tricks and make the trick flow much smoother using this process. This method works better on the Elixir, Ozone and Vapor than anything else I have tried.

My screen name is Imafloater given to me by "serious kiters". This came from not wanting to spend all my time at the field practicing and talking about how expensive my kite is, what my kite can do, who flys this kite, what bells and whistles this kite has with "serious kiters" who can't launch their kite and if they do can't land it. When did kite flying stop being about flying a kite I like and having fun? Yeah, I want to learn tricks. Yeah, I want to learn more about kites. I came here to have fun. Maybe the demise of fighter kites is due to them not being expensive, can't do wild flip-floppy tricks, don't have bell and whistles, not that expensive (matter of fact cheap) but depend on a pilot who actually knows what they're doing and don't depend on what the kite could do without them. Think I'll go to the convenience store spend $3.00 total get a kite and a soda and go have some fun.

My wife likes to vacation at Manzanita, OR, which usually has high winds after 10 am. Before 10 am it's SUL time and bang, it switches straight to vented conditions. This year had at least three days of 30 mph + during the week. I used to get frustrated, since I didn't have anything for those winds. Have vented 1.5 Rev and vented Rev II now, so they keep me happy.

Before I bought those, I got desperate one day and pulled out my Trlby. The fiberglass rods bent a lot, but didn't break. The kite from my viewpoint looked more like an oval dinner plate than a diamond kite. I had a big smile on my face for several hours of flying. Had to laugh at myself - a bag with $2,000 worth of high-end kites at my feet and I'm having a blast with a $17 Trlby.

If you have enough variety in your bag, the kites keep flying - or not flying - as you choose. Although, I don't think I pulled off a center window stall with the Trlby in those winds.

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